Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-02-25
IN DEFENSE.
Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms Gass Re.
plies to the Charges Made In Judge
SiIas Hare's Letter.
The Train Conversation Purely a Personal
Chat-The Judges Statements An
swered One by One.

sistan. sergeapt-at-arms to summon the
witnesses in the Judge Willis case, comes
out in the following open letter and ex-
plaips his side OF the affair, charged
against him in letter from Judge Silas
Hare to Judge Willis.
The letter explains itself and will be in
terestIng reading by reasons of the high
and respectable positions that are and
have been held by both Mr.. Gass and
Judge Hare.
AUSTIN, Ten, Feb. -. 1857.
To the Editor of the Gazette:
On my return from the Panhandle on
Friday, the II tn inst, l found at Quanah,
the terminus of the Fort Worth and
Denver City Railway Company, copy of
your paper of the 10th inst, which con-
tanned what purported to be letter from
Judge Silas Hare of Sherman written 10
Judge frank Willis ct Austin, which
reads as follows:
"When left Austin, fell in with w.
T. Gass and Fontaine on their way west
as special seTgeants alarms to summon
witnesses. Gass is an old friend of mine,
and he talked freely about the case. He
said he was the man who got up the facts,
and was instrumental in having the
charges filed against you, but he states
some of the charges were wrong and
he, if he had been present when made,
would have objected. l called his atten-
ton to the matter Of the charges and
asked him how ne expected to convict
you, for the law required nothing Of you
in impanneling jurors, and how could you
be condemned when the case was repre-
scented by attorneys on both sides He
said he knew nothing could be done on
these charges, but he expected to be
able to prove you were in the employ Of
the Cattlemen's Association of which
Goodnight is President. | questioned
him closely and found the sum totsl was,
he could prove Goodnight said you was
a useful man. He stated G. a. Brown,
Woodman and others had been paid large
fees, and he was going to see If he
couldn't prove Willis received money"
THE GAZETTE and ,other daily papers
of the same date contained the above let
ter, or its substance, with additional
headlines, comments, etc, such as
"Charges against Serge6nt-at-Arms
Glass;" with other details purportiug to
give q report of the attempt on the part
Of Judge Willis attorneys to have me dis
missed in disgrace from the service OF
the state Is special sergeant-at-arms OF
the Twentieth Legislature.
On the neXl daY | took the train to
Fort Worth, and Saturday night | ran
down to Sherman to attach one witness
there which would complete my work OF
duties as such sergeat-at arms. While
in Sherman Sunday l addressed a lettel
to Hon. Silas Hare, of which the follow
ing Is copy:
SHERMAN, TEX, Feb. Is, 1857.
Hon. Silas Haze, Sherman, Tex:
SIR roticed in the daily papers on
my arrival two days ago from the Pan
handle highly cGIored and sensational
article, which purports to be based upoI
a letter written to Judge Frank Willis a
Austin by yourself, alleging that in a con
yersation with you | made various anC
sundry statements on the night of tht
3lst ult while travelling on the Missouri
Pacific train between Austin and For
Worth.
As several statements in said letter a.
to what said to you are gsrbled and the
conclusions arrived at wholly your own
while others are without foundation il
fact, and were written evidently to manu-
facture pubic sympathy for the Judge
who is now being Investigated, desire Il
have you present tomorrow Cor Tues
day. TO listen to a sworn statement pro
pose to make before said committee i'm
mediately upon my arrival at Austin
Your presence as volunteer or paiC
attorney to strike to earth the good name
and reputation of an old and tried friepC
will be fitting commencement of you
congressional career, and | desire you
presence that the committee may judgt
between us. Very respectfully,
w. T. glass;,
Special Deputy Sergeant-at-Arms, Twen
tieth Legislature.
/ start for Austin to-day at 30 D. IN.
and an answer as TO whether you can g
to Austin will find me at my brother-in
laws, Bob Harvey, East Sherman.
GAss.
Leaving Sherman Sunday evening q
20 l reached Austin Monday morning q
I0:40. As soon as | could get the atten
ton of Chairman Kirlicks, which was th,
following morning, l addressed him tai
following note with copy of my lette
to Judge Hare attached:
"AU.TIN, TEX Feb Is, 1887.
''Hon. John r. Kiriicks, Chairman of Commi.
tee, austin Tex
DEAR SIR notice one or two highly
sensational reports in the newspaper
of the country, which purport to emsnatt
from your committee through nOllOl
made by Walton, Hill & Walton, in con
necuon with the investigation OF Hon
Frank Willis, District Judge of the Pan
handle district Of this state, in reference
to myself and official conduct as an of
ticer of your committee and the Twentieth
Legislature.
~ respectfully ask hearing befor
your committee, and herewith hand you
q copy of q letter addressed to Hon. Slls
Hare of Sherman, Tex, two days ago
from whom l have not yet had an an
swer. II it suits the pleasure Of you
committee to grant my request or de
mard, please designate the day and place
the sooner the better so far as my feeling
are concerned. W. T. GAss,
rs. D. S. at a., Twentieth legislature
Attorney General Hogg and Chairman
Kirlicss refused to assent to the motion
of Judge Willis attorneys to have me dis
charged and disgraced, uuheard, on tn
ipse dixit of Judge Hare's charges, ou
the chairman of the committee promised
to grant my request of a hearing befor
them which, to date, has not beef
sranted me.
Smsrting under s sense of the wrong
and injustice done me by the prefermen
of said charges, l have waited week, il
order that might correct the charges